Inestimable importance of a testimony standing in Church inspires confidence

Inestimable importance of a testimony of the truth. — Reputation for good standing in Church inspires confidence. — Truthfulness of individual testimony proven by life. — The world arraigned by reverend gentleman. — True Saints will manifest they are governed by truth. "Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah !" And praise to the people who know that he held that communion. ¶

The testimonies that have been borne throughout this conference have been most impressive. When one thinks and realizes that the thousands of Latter-day Saints who listened to those testimonies can bear the same kind of testimony truthfully, one realizes what a blessed people we are. No greater gift or blessing can come to man in this life than a knowledge that God lives, that Jesus is the Savior of the world, and that these two personages did actually appear to the Prophet Joseph and restore, through him, the gospel of Jesus Christ. I say that no greater gift or blessing can be enjoyed by man in this life. He who knows these things possesses the keys to the true philosophy of life. He who knows God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, has eternal life, the greatest gift that can come to man. ¶

It is not my purpose to dwell upon the gloriousness of the testimony of the truth of this gospel. I want to add my own to those testimonies which have been borne in other sessions of this conference. I know that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I thank God, this day, for that testimony. I know that the men who have been called to lead this, Christ's Church have been servants and are servants of God ; and you know it, my brethren and sisters; and I rejoice in your fellowship and in your brotherhood. God help us to be true to this testimony. ¶

I am reminded that when Christ was on the earth, He said to some men who also knew of His divinity, that there was an obligation upon all such who possessed the knowledge of the existence of God and of the truths of the gospel of Christ. "He that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be ¶

beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required ; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." So with this knowledge that the Latter-day Saints possess there comes a mighty obligation. God's people are spoken of in scripture, ancient and modern, as a chosen people, as a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, as a light set upon a hill. "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven." ¶

There are two virtues, I will call them principles, that I wish to emphasize, this afternoon, as worthy of our thought and our increased effort to establish them among men. The first is truth. Recently, while visiting a stake of Zion, established in a neighboring state to Utah, I listened to one part of a conversation carried over the telephone. The president of the stake was called from the dinner table to the 'phone, and this conversation followed. I was told that which I did not hear, so can give it to you in full. "Do you know," said the stranger, a nonmember of the church, to the president of the stake, "do you know Mr. So and So?" "Yes." "Is he a member of your church ?" "He is." "Well, is he in good standing in your church?' "Yes.' "All right; thank you. He is here in our office desiring to borrow some money to make an investment. He referred us to you, and said he was a member of your church. If he is in good standing, we will lend him the mon- ¶

ey." Oh, that confidence ! My heart rejoiced, and it rejoices today that, so far as honesty and integrity are concerned, the Church of Christ is a light. You and I grieve most deeply when we hear of a member who forgets himself and destroys, by his dishonesty, that confidence. Christ stood before Pilate a prisoner, and was asked, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" "Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?" Pilate evaded the answer by saying, "Am I a Jew ?" Jesus answered : "Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." In that sense truth applies to the gospel, the power of God unto salvation to all those who accept it, and Christ bore testimony to that truth. You and I today bear the same testimony, bear testimony by word of mouth that God has spoken to His sons and daughters, and restored to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is another way that Christ bore witness to that truth, and that was in His life. Men have called Him an enthusiast ; they have accused Him of being a dreamer, an ascetic, a recluse, and other such epithets have they hurled at Him, but they are loath ever to say that Christ, the Redeemer, was dishonest or untrue. His life is a life of honesty, honor, uprightness. He was drawn to men who were honest themselves, whose hearts were pure and guileless. Witness how quickly He saw purity and guilelessness in Nathaniel. "Behold," said He, "an Israelite, indeed, in whom there is no guile." As a negative pole is drawn by the positive, the mutual attraction seemed to be here. Their souls attracted each other, as the ¶

dewdrop trickling down the flower, in the morning, falls into its brother dewdrop on the flower, absorbed in one whole. So the purity of Christ seemed to absorb, attract, draw to the purity of Nathaniel. Nathaniel was honest, upright, pure, as a follower of Christ should be. No guileless man can be dishonest. No guileless man can stoop to chicanery and fraud, deceiving a brother. I say Christ's life and His teachings always bore testimony to the truth. In our day, God has said, through the Prophet Joseph Smith : "God does not walk in crooked paths, neither does He vary to the right hand or to the left. His words are true always, never varying from the straight path, and His words have one eternal round." To the Latter-day Saints, as God's people, he has declared that one of the fundamental principles of their belief is honesty and truthfulness. I rejoice in repeating our thirteenth article of faith. ¶

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. Indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul. We believe all things; we hope all things ; we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." ¶

Let your light so shine among men that they seeing your good works may be led to glorify our Father which is in heaven. In probably no more effective way can the truth be witnessed before men than for every Latter-day Saint to maintain and foster the confidence of our outside friends in a faithful member of the Church of Christ. Now, in order to do that we must be honest in all things. If we are contrac- ¶

tors, and agree to put in such and such material in a building, let us put that material in. If we agree to the stipulations of a contract, to put in one hundred and fifty feet of radiation in the building, let us put in one hundred and fifty feet. Those are details, aren't they, but those are the details by which the men whom you deal with will judge your actions. If we are taking to market potatoes of a particular grade, and we so describe that grade, let us know that an investigation will prove our statements true. I was grieved when I heard a wholesale dealer say that he has opened sacks of produce, brought in from the farm, and found foreign material, such as rocks and dirt, placed in to make up weight. I did not ask him for the religion of those men ; I asked for no name ; but such things are dishonorable, no true member of the Church of Christ can stoop to such trickery. Let your light shine before men. In this world today there needs to be an ensign, a people standing out in bold relief as an example to the world in honesty and fair-dealing. I will not condemn the world, but to illustrate what I mean, I will let a reverend gentleman give his opinion of the world at large today. I quote from Mr. Jefferson, author of "The Character of Jesus." Speaking of the insincerity of the world, he says : ¶

"And yet how common insincerity is. What a miserable old humbug of a world we are living in — full of trickery, and dishonesty, and deceit of every kind. Society is cursed with affectation. Business is honey-combed with dishonesty. The political world abounds in duplicity and chicanery. There is sham, and pretense, and humbugery everywhere. Some use big words we do not understand, and some will claim to knowledge which they do not possess ; and some parade in dresses which they cannot pay for. The ¶

life of many a man and many a woman is one colossal lie. We say things which we do not mean; express emotions which we do not feel. We praise when we secretly condemn. We smile when there is a frown on the face of the heart. We give compliments when we are really thinking curses, striving a hundred times a week to make people think we are other than we are. It is a penitentiary offense to obtain money, under false pretenses ; and so from this we carefully refrain ; but how many other things are obtained, do you think, by shamming and pretending, for which there is no penalty but the condemnation of Almighty God. Yes, it is a sad, deceitful, demoralized world in the midst of which we find ourselves ; but, thank God, there are hearts, here and there, upon which we can ever more depend. We have tested them, and we know them to be true." ¶

Such hearts as he mentions at the last must be found everywhere in the Church of Christ, if we believe — not just think — "Believe" may not be so expressive as conviction or faith, but it is stronger than "think." When we say, "I believe I will do this," we do it ; I do it. We do not say, "I think the Bible is the word of God." We believe the Bible to be the word of God, and accept it as such ; and so when that article of faith is repeated, "We believe in being honest, true — " we take it as part of our life, that our acts may so shine among men ; but there is one reason before, deeper than that, because it is right, the only way to live. Brethren and sisters, be honest in all your dealings. Be true to yourselves. Never be false to your honest convictions. Be true to your brethren ; be true to the Church of Christ ; be true to the testimony you possess ; and then men must see by your good works that you do possess knowledge which they do not have. ¶

God help us in this and in all worthy things, to bear witness to the truth, in all the world, — I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶